THE HEAD BANGGER PIECE. A DANCE OF DEFIANCE. JOUVAY AYITI (HAITI NEW DAY), AN EXPLORATION INTO INTERPRETATION.

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF THE HEAD BANGGER PIECE.
AN EXPLORATION INTO INTERPRETATION.
FROM PAPER, TO THE MAS CAMP, TO THE STAGE.

UPDATE: This is an initiative of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, University of the West Indies, UWI.

I was asked to design one costume. "The band will portray tow major themes to be presented at different venues:
1. 'Haiti: Gods, Heroes Vilains'- individuals and small groups for
a) the regional Carnival circuit; b) the Old Yard, DCFA, Sunday 27th February.

2. 'Haiti: Mudder of Civilization'- Jouvay 2011.

This design was conceived to be performed in the Mudder of Civilization, Jouvay 2011.

THE MEASUREMENTS.

The design was seen as a body suit that would have ended at the waist. It was seen as an extension of the body and would have exaggeration of the movements that the body would have done in it's simplest of moves.

Conceptual Thought- When I think of Haiti, there is a long sadness drawn from a lack of activity politically and socially by Caricom, my own country and an international community that has played a role in Haiti’s turmoil. But as I grew and learned of Haiti’s inner soul, I learned of a resilience, a defiance of a culture to lay down and sleep, you learned of the metal drum art, the music festivals, the textile makers, the artists...you learned of an ingenuity to live.

There was a philosophy being implemented through the art school movements. This philosophy implanted their culture into the imagination of the world. Be it misunderstood or not their cultural product is at the tip of world attempts at understanding them. 

The head or body piece is a natural extension of the body, reaching for “that”, that makes us resilient, makes us a people, to continue in the dignity that they and we should all be, this continuation of the us is the re-embracing of our traditional craft making techniques, such as wire bending, weaving and dancing within the modernity of know.

1.      The Frame – can be built using wooden strips that will give it a flexibility in move of the body.

2.      Fabric-The Body piece will be knitted with coloured fabric. If cost factors are a concern twine can be used or strips of coloured cloth found.

3.      The Bells- the bell will be installed on the body piece, at 52”/4=13” interval on the body piece, with the bells on spikes at the top on individual spike that emanate from the body piece.

4.      The Dance- This should be a traditional dance of Haiti, that can be give modern over tones as we will be speak of tradition operating within a modernity and surviving because of adaptation.

IN THE CALLALLOO.
Peter Minshall's Mas Camp. It was here that Lari Richardson built the piece.

Due to time, material the original concept was adjusted. This was expected, The time consume process of constructing the original piece. Time was against them.

It is my understanding that this will be used as a prototype piece for building the final piece. Which will be done for a presentation in Haiti.

This will have to be confirmed, with the management of DCFA. 

IOO BELLS, $1OO.00 DOLLARS.

HEAD PIECE. STRUCTURE.

LARI RICHARDSON.

PRELIMINARY STRUCTURE.
This found structure, due to it's flexibility, was used to develop on the piece, which will be adjusted to a shoulder harness and strapped to the torso of the performer.

PRELIMINARY STRUCTURE, DETAIL.

DETAIL OF PRELIMINARY STRUCTURE.
A mesh was placed over the structure.
cloth was then attached.
with another layering of mesh, was added.

STRUCTURE, DETAIL.

WORK BENCH. BELLS AND ALL.

DETAIL OF STRUCTURE.

LARI RICHARDSON, WITH COVERING. WHICH WILL BE ATTACHED TO THE MESH.

STRUCTURE. DETAIL.

AH SAW THIS ALREADY

THE SHOULDER HARNESS.

SHOULDER HARNESS, FULL VIEW.

IN DE CALLALLOO.

BEND YUH HEAD TO THE RIGHT.

DETAIL, OF HEAD PIECE.
Here we see the mesh, with attachment of the bells.

DETAIL, SHOWING THE INTERIOR.

HEAD PIECE, NO HEAD.

THE HEAD PIECE.

FRONT VIEW.

SIDE VIEW.

SIDE VIEW, AGAIN.

TAKE IT TO THE HEAD.

FULL

THE TEXTURE.

Conclusion.
There was interpretation, which was allowed to expedite the time, allow for fluidity and explore interpretation, as one to the other to the other.

Things were scarificed in the cause of interpretation, economics and time, which may or may not have worked in the best interest of the design. In the end the aesthetics of the performance has changed, morphed into an interesting conceptualization of another. Which is still politcally charged with certain characteristics from that interpretation. 

Another story evolved. Which speaks  to a modernity of materiality, neo liberal politics and consumption. 

There is the understanding that this will act as a prototype for the constuction of the final design. This will have to be confirmed.

Which will involve much more hands on work that will see the kind of texture, we're looking for. see the above photo.

The Head Bangger Piece, will be performed either Wednesday 2nd or Friday 4th of March 2011.

GOT TO CALL DEM.